Retractable landing gear for aircraft



Aug. 20, 1940. J. MERCIER 2,212,031

RETRACTABLE LANDING GEAR FORAIRCRAFT Filed Dec. 11, 1937 J' n Mere er \Nv-aN-r- R Patented Aug. 20, 1940 UNITED ST ATES' PATENT orrlcs RETRACTABLE LANDING GEAR FOB AIRCRAFT Jean Mercier, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France Application December 11, 1937, Serial No. 179,246

" In France September 27, 1937 said strut. Such devices have a lifting couple, which provides .an excess of power when the device is unfolded. l

overcome this drawback, and'itrelates to landing gear of the disappearing type for airplanes or the like, it being chiefly characterized by the fact that it comprises a, jack or similar lifting device which operates principally betweenthe landing gear to be foldedup', and theairplane, and is so arranged as to exercise, at the start of the lifting, a slight reaction upon the jointed strut, so that it will be directly bent at the time when thelifting commences, and this latter may then continue, and will take place chiefly by the direct efiort exerted by the jack or the like. In this manner the bending of the strut in the middle is commenced, thus avoiding the use of a very great force which would be otherwise required for the lifting. According to another characteristic of the invention, the jack ispivoted at one end to the jointed strut either directly or indirectly, in the immediate vicinity of one of its ends, and at the other end, directly to the device, thelanding gear or the airplane body, towhic h latter-the other end ofthe jointed strut isattached.

In the accompanying drawing, whichis given solely by way of example:

ing in the lateral .direction, improved in conformity with the invention. 1; a

Fig. 2 is a side elevational diagrammatic view of an analogous device adapted for-disappearing in the longitudinal direction. V v V In the embodiment shown inFlg. 1, the landing gear I can be made to disappear by pivoting it about a longitudinal axle 9. Ajointed strut I, la is pivoted at 3 to the aeroplane, and at 2.

The present invention, has for its object to Fig. l is an elevational diagrammatic front view of a landing device adapted for disappearother type.

claim as new and desire to secure The other end of the jack is pivoted at 6 directly to the landing gear I.

The operation is as follows:

At the start of the lifting action, the jack 4 commences the folding of the jointed device by the reaction exercised at 5 upon the strut I, Ia. The jack then acts upon the headof the landing gear 1,.at 6, in orderto fold up the device. The

' said strut, which serves to hold the landing gear in the unfolded position, is thus somewhat displaced by the force which causes it to pivot about the point 3, but this force need not be considerable.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 2, the landing gear can be folded up by pivoting about a transverse axle 9. The jointed strut I, la is pivoted at 2 to the landing gear 1, and at 3 to the airplane body. The end 6 of the jack 4 is connected to the airplane body, and the end 8 acts upon the landing gear 1 at Ia; also react-. ing upon the strut I, la at 5.

The operation is as follows:

At the start of the lifting action, the jack 1 commences the folding of the.strut I, Ia, and hence the release of the landing gear, by its action at 5, and it then exerts its principal efiort upon the landing gear for disappearing purposes.

Obviously, the said invention is not limited to the embodiments herein described and represented, which are given solely by way of example.

Thus the examples of construction-which have been selected, are applicable to landing gear for aircraft, but it is evident that without departingv from the limits of the invention, the principle herein disclosed may be applied to anypivoted device which is to be moved with reference to another device having the fixed position. In like manner, the operating jack may be of the mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, electric or described my invention, what, I

Having now by Letters Patent, is:

1. A jointed mechanism adapted for use in a landing gear orthe like comprising a control means such as a jack, a folding strut, consisting of two pivoted parts, a movable member, an-

other member having a relatively stationary position with respect to said movable member, a pivotal attachment between said two members, said strut being attached at either of its ends *to one of said two members, and said control Y means being attached at one end to said strut,

attachment between said movable and stationary members. the pivotal attachment between said strut and said control means being located in the immediate neighbourhood 01' one end o1 'said strut.

2. A mechanism for use in a landing gear or the like, according to claim 1, and further comprising an operating connection between said control means and movable member.

3. A mechanism for use in a landing gear or the like, according to claim 1. and in which said pivotal attachment between said strut and control means is located between the ends of the strut.

JEAN MERCIER. 

